Ichibancon is an annual three-day anime convention held in and around the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, which also celebrates Japanese Pop Culture. It is currently distinguished as being Carolina's first anime convention of the New Year. The first Ichibancon event was held at the Great Wolf Lodge in Concord, North Carolina (approximately 25 miles northeast of Charlotte) during the weekend of January 8-10, 2010. The word "Ichibancon" is derived from the Japanese word ichiban (一番?), meaning "number one" or "best," and "con," which is an abbreviated form of the word convention.